First bonus check $1500

Here is another great example that shows when working this business and doing the right things does create growth. There aren't any secrets. John and Kimberly Schippert are new to Shaklee and are in Sandy Dietrich's downline. Sandy works at the basic fundamentals and models it for the people who want to grow.

The Schipperts are off to a great start and I'm sure will be reaching their goal of Executive Coordinator.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

Hi Gary!

 

Our 1st bonus check was for $1,500!!  I remember when we had our 3-way call - John asked you how you stay motivated.  You said that motivation comes after the effort.  We are experiencing that now.

 

Last night we had our first home show with people who we did not know.  We had great success in sales and signed a fast tracker!  So exciting to have someone join us in our journey!  The most motivating factor about last night was that we were able to meet people’s needs.  Each person there had health concerns and we were able to direct them to the Shaklee products that would benefit them.  That is so gratifying.

 

 We are loving our new Shaklee lifestyle and can’t wait to watch it multiply!

 

We’ll be in touch.

 

Kimberly and John

Girl Scout Cookies: a goal, a process, a mother/leader

Here is an excellent example of what it takes to succeed at a high level selling cookies.  The same steps or process are what it takes to build a Shaklee business.  Enjoy and learn, then apply.

Gary Burke

The Oklahoman points out that Katie Francis broke the state record in Oklahoma the last two years. She told the paper she has sold thousands of boxes in the past.

"Well, the first year that I sold, I sold 2,004. The year after that, I sold 7,482. And then just this last year, I sold 12,428."

So what's Katie's secret? According to USA Today, it's a whole lot of dedication.

Katie says she asks everyone she sees if they would like to get a box. On school days, she would be out selling cookies all over the area until after 9 p.m. And, on weekends, she'd spend at least 12 hours out on the streets selling cookies, with her mom driving her around the city.

Katie's mom told the paper her daughter hopes to sell 100,000 boxes of girl scout cookies by the end of her girl scout career. As for this year, Katie still has a few more days to sell cookies. Girl Scout cookie sales end March 30.

March Madness #2

John Wooden is considered to be one of the best basketball coaches in the history of the game.  As I was watching one of the games this past weekend one of the announcers started talking about Coach Wooden and how he taught the game to his players. The following is a principle he taught: "Past results don't determine future performance."

If we would take that idea and apply it to ourselves while building this business or building our personal future, I believe more people would experience that success they desire. A major thing about making progress is not to live in the past and continually recall past failures. Those are lessons learned. Our focus should be on things we're going to do without taking ourselves back to the past. Of course we learn from the past but we don't want to live there. 

Being future-directed is one thought I accepted for myself very early in the business. I first heard those words at a meeting in Minneapolis and I remember writing it down and keeping it: be a future-driven person.  Why not make that one of your daily thoughts? "I'm a future driven person." 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

March Madness

It's that time of year for those of us who love March Madness.  It's about collegiate basketball and upsets, emotional people, winning shots at the buzzer, excitement and of course tears from those who lose.  Faye and I love watching - it's just so fun.

Every year I read the paper the morning after the games, looking for comments from the coaches because they are teaching and coaching teams about getting better, working hard, play for the team not yourself, and I love finding interesting comments. The following is a quote from one of the assistant coaches and his name is Luke Becker.  He said, "We've been telling them all year, sometimes you can't just do what's required, you gotta go find a way to win."

I love it.  What he's saying is a person has to dig deep inside yourself when things aren't going your way and it might be attitude, effort, belief, or just working harder and doing whatever it takes. The same is true in this business. If you have goals and a process to follow and you're working but nothing seems to be working the way you want it to work. That is when you have to dig deep into yourself and keep fighting, maybe it's a better attitude, more effort, more consistency, talk to more people, whatever.....just dig deep within yourself and convince yourself you're willing to do whatever it takes.

I've been there and I know most of you know exactly what I'm saying. Keep fighting back. Don't accept failure.  Be willing to learn the lessons. Dig deep because sometimes that's what it's going to take.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

You have a choice

A few years ago I had a conversation with a friend of Terry Slattery about growing a network marketing business.   Al Strauss was and is a very successful sales trainer and was also involved in network marketing.  What I remember about that time talking with him was how he could communicate with such clarity and simplicity.

The following are four ways he suggested for building / maintaining this business.

1. Sell existing products to existing members.

- This is what most sales leaders rely on.

2. Sell new products to existing members and builders.

- This takes promoting the new products.

3. Sell existing products to new members and builders.

- This means you are sponsoring new people.

4. Find people to do 1 - 2 - 3.

- This obviously is about developing sales leaders as well as selling products.

I still find this thinking to be of great value mainly because of it's simplicity. All of us have choices to make as far as how we decide to work at our business. This shows there are four paths we can choose from. 

If a person is committed to grow whatever business they have it seems to me that number four is the path to be on.   The question for today is: what path are you taking,1, 2, 3, or 4?

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's a choice

This will be short but very powerful once it is understood and applied.

How we talk to ourselves is more powerful than most of us really believe.  There is an ongoing conversation taking place every day in our minds mainly because we're very busy people in a very busy world. Each of us has the opportunity to make choices and decisions that has potential to make a huge difference in our future. There can be positive and negative every day. We get to choose where our focus will be.

That is my view of this business.   Shaklee has the potential to change a person's life in so many ways: improving and maintaining personal health, earning a little to help with monthly bills or earning more than you'll ever need to help others with their bills or needs, making new friends that last a lifetime (and we just happen to call our downline or someone we get to know who is in another downline), travel, recognition, applauding others for their recognition.....it goes on and on.

Here is the simple principle:  You can have what you say but most people keep saying what they have.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It worked for us

I've had a couple of people ask what I did when it came to making choices about building this business. I will try to describe to you how I approached growing this business. It's really quite simple but this is what I would do: I asked myself questions. When I reflect back it seems that when I was alone in the car that was when I would question myself.

"Who am I currently working with?"   

"Are they sponsoring people?" 

"Are they asking questions?"    

To be very honest, most of the time the people I thought I was working with wasn't really happening. This was in our first couple years before I figured out that "doing Shaklee" isn't the same as a person doing the right things to build the business like having appointments, giving presentations, sponsoring people on a regular basis.  

Over the years I learned that in order to grow I had to find new people. I learned that I needed to have some guidelines for myself about to whom I was willing to give my time. Are they asking me questions? Are they using lots of products? Are they attending/doing in-home meetings? Is sponsoring taking place? Do they have goals?

Basically those were the guidelines I set for myself. I also decided that I would work with anyone who was willing to do and learn the right things to do. This is a simple business, so the process for growth is pretty much the same for everyone. We might execute the fundamentals in our own way but that is how it works. I learned to be myself and let other people be who they are. I hope this makes sense for you because it's vital to invest your time wisely.  

We never grew fast but we were consistent. The goal was to develop two (2) new first level sales leaders every year.  We did that for eight (8) consecutive years and the 7th year was the first year we grossed $100,000. That gave us the foundation to expand the business and that is what happened.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What really creates your future?

As of today we have two full weeks left in the month of March. How is your month coming along? Are you on track for achieving the monthly targets you may have set in January for making 2014 your best year ever?

It's really about making choices and then creating a plan that will give you a idea of exactly what it is you want to work on.  The process is about appointments, presentations (telling the Shaklee story) and following up. In my mind these are the three activities that have huge potential to move a business forward.

It comes back to the choices we make.  As has been said many times, we don't really decide our future, what really happens is we make choices and those choices are what end up deciding our future. Just think about those simple words for a couple minutes: everything evolves around the choices we make.  If this is true we should be paying attention to what we choose to do or what not to do.  It's that simple.  

Let's just look at the next couple weeks.  Here is my suggestion, sit down and think about what you feel you would like to accomplish over a two week period of time. Important- don't underestimate what you can do in two weeks. You can pick up some important momentum for your spring business. Remember, it's about your choices. Choose to talk to more people in the next few days and follow your process. It's not really much of a mystery of what creates growth.   Choices.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A great story - and wait until you see the photos!

The following is a great story along with some awesome photos sent to me by Rod Larkin about making a decision, sticking with it for months and months and you will see what happened to Rod and Danette.

Thanks to both of you for being tremendous examples.

Gary Burke

 

When I joined Shaklee in 1979, what grabbed my attention and really got me involved were the stories I heard people share.  I was taught this--- if you really want to help people, you need to be willing to share your story, and keep sharing it, and keep sharing it, and keep sharing it because-- stories are what attract people, stories are what help to inspire, and stories are what help to motivate people. For 35 years now, that's what I've been doing-- sharing my story with others. 

 

I've had lots of stories to share-- why I joined, what attracted me to Shaklee, things I've done, stories of business success, and stories of success with the products.  Similarly, I grew up in a Christian home.  My dad was a pastor, as was my grandfather.  I remember as a child singing this song that many of you may recognize-- This Little Light Of Mine.  The whole song is about letting your light shine so others can see it and be helped by it.  The song is about sharing your story (don't hide it under a bushel basket) about what God has done for you--- with other people.  You are to let your light shine-- not keep it hidden.

 

I gave this bit of explanation so there is no misunderstanding of our intent of why we seem to "keep talking about ourselves" and our results with the Shaklee 180 program.  We share our story not to brag and not to boast-- no way.  This is our story-- one of many over the years, but it is our current story and by sharing our story with others, our goal is to help others transform their health, their appearance, and their lifestyle-- just like we've been able to do with the Shaklee 180 program.  We keep saying it-- If We Can Do It, Anyone Can.  It's true!  We were privy to all of the same reasons, excuses, bad habits, etc. etc. etc. that everyone has for being overweight and not doing something about it.  We get it.  We understand it.  That was us too.

 

Then one day--- we both reached our "Tipping Point" and that's what did it for us.  Until a person reaches his/her tipping point, it can be hard, if not impossible, to make the changes you need to be willing to make, no matter what it is you are wanting to accomplish.

 

All we can say is we are so glad we reached our tipping point when it came to our weight and our health, and Shaklee 180 was not only ready for us, but we were ready for it! 

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words as they say---- then here is our storybook of many chapters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rod & Danette Larkin

 

Watch Our 4 Minute 180 Video:

http://vimeo.com/79941409

 

 

     

Think about this for awhile

The one thing I got sold on very early when we committed to build this business was the importance of regular meetings, conferences and attending anything where I could hear successful people tell their story and learn about this business. 

The following is an excerpt from the book Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.   I agree 100% with his comments.  If we didn't do meetings of all kinds over the years we would not have much of a business.

I hope you will read the following short paragraphs a couple times and think about what he is saying.

"It seems to stir controversy when I talk about the fact that no matter how great social media is, it is not as effective for building strong bonds of trust as real human contact is.   Social media fans will tell me about all those close friends they've made online.  But if social media is the end-all-be-all,  then why do over thirty thousand bloggers and podcasters descend on Las Vegas every year for a huge conference called BlogWorld? 

Why don't they meet online?  Because nothing can replace face-to-face meetings for social animals like us. 

A live concert is better than the DVD and going to a ball game feels different from watching on TV, even though the view is better on television.  We like to actually be around people who are like us.  It makes us feel like we belong.  It is also the reason a video conference can never replace a business trip.  Trust is not formed through a screen, it is formed across a table.  It takes a handshake to bind humans.....and no technology yet can replace that......But what do we do in hard times when we need good ideas most?  We cut back on conferences and business trips because video conferencing and webinars are cheaper."

Why does Shaklee have a conference in Long Beach, CA in August instead of just doing it online?   Why do people travel hundreds of miles to attend a seminar or conference on this business when they could probably get a recording?    Why are in-home events so effective?  It's something to think about.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

It's about leadership

I learned very early in this business of the idea that this is a leadership business.  It took me a while to understand what that meant but after all these years to me there is no question about the fact that Shaklee is  about leadership.

I first heard Simon Sinek about a year ago in what they call a TED talk.  I'll bet I watched that YouTube TED talk 5 or 6 times because it was so impressive.  Thanks to Anthea Tripp for sending the attached link that features Simon Sinek talking about leadership.  This video is a little under five minutes and in my opinion it is worth the time to watch, listen, and even take notes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNkOKV5xItI&hd=1 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

How to become skilled in this business

I have been reading some material from John Wooden who was the basketball coach at UCLA for many years. Many consider him to be one of the best ever in that field of coaching. He taught his players what he called the "Building Blocks" for succeeding. The following is what coach Wooden wrote about the word initiative.

"Initiative is having the courage to make decisions and take action.  People with initiative move forward without the fear of failure, even though they might make mistakes or fail.  People with initiative will act when action is needed."

Coach Wooden's description of initiative fits perfectly with deciding to build this business. It's about making decisions to talk with people about an idea that can literally change their lives. In the business we are in we all face the possibility of what could be considered failing every day. This is a skill-based business and it takes many repetitions to develop skills.  We can't constantly be worried or concerned  about making mistakes because that's how skills are developed and the biggest mistake people make is deciding to do nothing.

Be a doer. The more mistakes (failure) you make the better you'll become at building the kind of business you desire.  It sounds crazy in a way but that's the truth of the matter.  Mistakes or failures are not something to try to avoid.   Decide to get out there and talk to as many people as possible because before you know it you will see major progress and personal growth.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Having and working a process is vital

Sandy Dietrich and her team are following their process and of course what follows doing a process are results.  Many would ask, "What are they doing?"  Talking to people, getting appointments, following up and of course giving presentations, doing in-home meetings.   The basics. Thank you Sandy for your continued efforts and being the example for your team.  

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Hi Gary,

Remember I told you that the total of my 8 downline directors avg. sponsoring has been 8 each month? Well in February it was 40, with John & Kimberly Schippert coming in #1 with 18 new members and they also became Directors in their first month of Fast Track! J Need to keep this momentum going, and the extended Shaklee special will be a great boost!! I am having them write up their story and will send it to you as soon as I have it.

Make it a great day!

Blessings!

Sandy

The tortoise or the hare?

I received the following message from Rod Larkin regarding building something worthwhile. I believe that being consistent is as important as anything for becoming successful. Rod builds a great case and explains it with great clarity.

Gary Burke

Hi,

 

Doing a bit of coaching support with a business builder on our team and felt this part of the message would be to the benefit of all.

 

Here is a question to consider once you read this--  Would you rather be the tortoise or the hare?

 

Rod

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for the update on your business activities and sharing your thoughts. Keep doing what you are doing and you are going to be very successful in Shaklee.

 

What this business rewards the most is consistency.  Gary Burke has always referred to himself as the plodder-- just being consistent.  Gary and Faye will be the first to tell you they never grew fast, but they grew in increments every year, year after year, because they stayed consistent every week, every month, and every year with their business activity.  They never pushed their business on the back burner for weeks or months at a time.  As  result over time, Gary & Faye have one of the top 16 largest Shaklee businesses in North America-- just by plodding along.  People like Gary are the tortoise-- just keep plodding along, andalways moving forward.

 

A lot of people in this business will do short bursts of effort for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and then back off for some reason, lose their focus, get distracted, etc... and what momentum they had going all disappears and they are back to square one. At some point, they do another burst, back off, back to square one-- and I've watched many people repeat this cycle year after year wondering why the business isn't working for them, and why they can't seem to get ahead.  Short burst people are the hare-- they go at a frenzied pace for a short time, sponsor some people, their volume increases some, but then something causes them to run out of steam, enthusiasm, excitement, they lose their focus on business building activiites, and theystop moving forward.

 

As we all know the story well, we know who finishes and wins the race-- the tortoise.  I think we can all agree there is much greater value and wisdom in choosing to be the tortoise in this business.  Fast can be fun and exciting, but is almost always short-lived.

 

There is no traditional form of business, no profession, or no occupation I know of that allows or permits this type of up and down, on and off again activity with out the risk of losing the job, the business or the profession-- other than a home-based network marketing business.  In this business, people can do exactly what I just described-- work it , don't work it, work it don't work it, and of course--- the results end up being the judge of productivity in the end.

 

Here is the difference with our business--- when a person works at it and builds it strong and solid for a period of a few years part-time--- THEN you can take some time away, some time off, and the checks keep coming-- just like Linda Flack Coral who was our guest speaker in last week's webinar.  Her story is a great example of this.

 

Ask anyone-- if you had to take 6 months, or even a year off from what you do to earn money-- would you still continue to receive all of your income every month?  VERY few people could say yes to this question.  But-- a person who has built a strong,solid, and successful Shaklee business can absolutely answer yes to this question.  As Gary Burke often like to ask people this question when he is prospecting for a new business partner-- How would you like to build something that will continue to pay you even if you are not there to do the work?

 

From the movie Field of Dreams-- "If you build it, they will come." 

 

From a successful Shaklee business owner-- "If you build it, they (the checks) will come, and keep coming, and keep coming, and keep coming."  Now what is building something like that worth to you, and to have a business legacy you can pass on to your spouse, your partner, your kids, or your grand kids?

 

It always takes sacrifice to go after anything that is truly worthwhile, be it a relationship, a job, a business, etc... and in this business--- it is worth ALL of the sacrifice one puts into building it right, and building it strong.

 

Rod